Mano del Desierto, Desert sculpture in Atacama, Chile.
A concrete sculpture shaped like a human hand rises 36 feet (11 meters) from the desert sand along the Pan-American Highway, 37 miles (60 kilometers) southeast of Antofagasta at an elevation of 3,600 feet (1,100 meters) above sea level.
Chilean sculptor Mario Irarrázabal created the monumental work in 1992 with funding from Corporación Pro Antofagasta to promote artistic dialogue about human presence in harsh landscapes and became part of his international series of similar sculptures.
The sculpture symbolizes human isolation and vulnerability within the endless Atacama Desert and has become a symbol of the relationship between civilization and extreme natural isolation in northern Chile.
Visitors reach the sculpture from Antofagasta by driving south on Route 5 for 30 miles (48 kilometers), then following a dirt road 1,500 feet (450 meters) west to the site, with free parking available directly beside the monument.
The structure requires regular maintenance to remove graffiti while enduring temperature differences exceeding 54 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) between day and night in a region where decades can pass without rainfall.
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